Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC Makes New $847,000 Investment in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Key Points

• Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC initiated a new position in Marathon Petroleum, buying 5,207 shares valued at about $847,000 in the fourth quarter.
• Marathon Petroleum reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with earnings of $1.65 per share versus $0.74 expected and revenue of $34.20 billion topping estimates. The company also announced a $5 billion share buyback and a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with multiple analysts raising price targets; the stock currently carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $259.44.

Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,207 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $847,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $696,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 38.3% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,697 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,889,000 after purchasing an additional 7,396 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 26.6% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,221 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at about $8,505,000. Finally, AXA S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 46.7% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 39,675 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $6,590,000 after purchasing an additional 12,639 shares during the period. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on MPC shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Marathon Petroleum to $335.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $174.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $263.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $259.44.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $249.31 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $233.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $202.71. The company has a market capitalization of $72.78 billion, a PE ratio of 16.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 0.53. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 12-month low of $154.65 and a 12-month high of $261.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.91. The company had revenue of $34.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 3.36%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.24) earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 28.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio is 26.11%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total transaction of $371,020.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,717,054.50. The trade was a 17.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Marathon Petroleum News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marathon Petroleum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target on Marathon Petroleum to $290 from $255 and kept an outperform rating, signaling higher expectations for the shares. BMO Capital Adjusts Price Target on Marathon Petroleum to 290 From 255, Maintains Outperform Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum recently reported a strong Q1 earnings beat, with refining margins improving and a newly announced $5 billion buyback adding support for shareholder returns. MPC Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates on Strong Refining Results
• Positive Sentiment: Higher crude and fuel market volatility tied to Middle East supply disruption is widening refining crack spreads, which can lift earnings for refiners like MPC that process discounted crude into more valuable gasoline and diesel. The Great SPR Arbitrage: An Oil Market Glitch Fuels Sector Gains
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have been revisiting Marathon Petroleum’s fair value estimate, which was updated higher to $256.83 per share, reflecting evolving assumptions around oil and natural gas markets. How The Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Story Is Shifting As Analyst Views And Assumptions Evolve
• Neutral Sentiment: MPC is also drawing attention as a trending stock, suggesting investors are actively re-evaluating the name after the latest earnings and analyst updates. Is Trending Stock Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) a Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Any easing of geopolitical tensions, a drop in oil prices, or policy pushback against high fuel prices could compress refining margins and reduce the earnings tailwind for Marathon Petroleum.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation NYSE: MPC is a U.S.-based downstream energy company engaged principally in the refining, marketing, supply and transportation of petroleum products. The company was formed through a spin-off from Marathon Oil in 2011 and operates an integrated system of refining and logistics assets that support the production and distribution of transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products.

Marathon Petroleum's operations include refining crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and other specialty products, as well as managing the distribution and storage infrastructure needed to move those products to market.

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